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The campaign committee for House Democrats is going on offense to protect vulnerable incumbents, releasing a list Tuesday of 26 lawmakers who will receive fundraising and outreach support for the 2014 elections.

The House members on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's "Frontline" program are a mix of newcomers and perennially targeted lawmakers such as Jim Matheson of Utah and John Barrow of Georgia, both part of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition.

Among the freshmen: Arizona's Ron Barber, who narrowly won election to a full term in the seat formerly held by Gabrielle Giffords; California's Ami Bera, who won in a swing district in the Sacramento suburbs; and Florida's Patrick Murphy, who ousted Tea Party favorite Allen West in the last election.

"We call this program Frontline for a reason — these members are on the vanguard of protecting and expanding the middle class," said Rep. Steve Israel of New York, chairman of the DCCC. "These battle-tested men and women have proven time and again that they can win because no one better reflects the values of their districts."

The campaign will be run by Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., a previous "Frontline" member.

Republicans currently have a 232-200 majority in the House, and there are three vacancies.

Shortly after the Democratic campaign was announced, the House Republican campaign arm pushed back with digital ads against the DCCC's "Frontline" list.

"Democrats started the year talking about how they were going to win the majority, yet now, they are releasing a list of 26 vulnerable incumbents they are not even confident will win," said Daniel Scarpinato, press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee. "Looks like President Obama's dream of making Nancy Pelosi speaker of the House again isn't based in reality."